I was a shitty fucking man for not being able to protect the woman I was in love with.
"Stop lying to me, sweet mage." Matthieu grabbed her chin and roughly turned her to face him. "You wouldn't spread your legs like that for five men."
"I already did." Her lips curved into a sinister smirk, almost as if she was getting off on provoking him. I loved this woman with everything in me, and I was so fucking proud of being with her--but I didn't want it to get her hurt.
Matthieu's cruel face twisted in anger.
"Don't hit her!" Bastian screamed as Matthieu raised his hand to her again, but he paused as he stared at Bastian.
"Shit. You're all really together..." Matthieu mumbled, his hand slapping over his own face as he chuckled. "Damn it.You five are so fucking annoying. Emperor Lloyd was bad enough having to play, but you five?" He shook his head. "Annoying."
"What's your game plan?" Fawn asked, taking the attention from us.
"Game plan?" he chuckled, his eyes brightening as he stared at her. "Didn't you hear my riddle?"
"I don't care for riddles," she bristled.
He pouted his lips but started pacing again, and I swear the five of us let out a breath of relief at not having him in front of her again.
"Emperor Hayes has been dead for almost a year now. I've been controlling Empress Hayes with bone magic. Toes are the easiest to take and control, you know. Feet are in shoes, so hardly anyone notices." He glanced at the guards. "But when that stopped working, I just fed her to the monsters in the dungeons. Then I started to use my metamorphose magic to transform into her. Surprisingly, nobody really noticed. I'm a pretty good actor."
"Emperor Lloyd has to know what you've done," Silas stated in horror, shaking his head.
Matthieu cackled. "That idiot doesn't know anything! I've even..." he trailed off before his eyes glazed over.
The guards glanced at each other.
"He said to remove him from the room if this happens," one hissed to the other.
"But he's so creepy when he does it. What if he gets pissed?" the other whined. "I don't want to get eaten by a monster. You saw what happened to Chandler!"
"If we don't move him, we die anyway," the guard snapped, grabbing one of Matthieu's arms.
"Fine." The other guard took the other arm, and together, they lifted him up, leaving the room with him before locking it behind them as they left.
"I've never felt so detached from my magic before," Fawn stated numbly, staring at the door.
My heart clenched, and I fucking hated not being able to help her. "Sunshine, we're going to get our magic back and get out of here."
"The potion experiment said they were trying to make it last for forty-eight hours instead of twelve," Bastian reminded us with a groan. "As long as he doesn't dose us again..."
"I fucking hate this feeling," Silas muttered.
"It feels too familiar," Fawn mumbled before her head rolled forward.
"Sunshine?" I croaked, but she had passed out.
We had been far too careless with letting her track him down on her own, and I would never forgive myself for that.
17
FAWN
*Trigger Warning:Extreme Torture within chapter*
"We'll getout of here, Fawn," Silas promised, his gaze meeting mine as I strained against the restraints tying me to the hard wooden chair. "Our powers will return soon."
"When?" Casper spat out bitterly, anger contorting his expression. He had refused to make eye contact with me since we'd been locked in here, and I hated it. "When will they return, and what will we be forced to endure while tied up? We can'tprotecther or ourselves like this."
